Method of and apparatus for measuring gases



Au '29, 1933. STONE 1,924,468

METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR MEASURING GASES Filed June 20, 1927 Ba e I|IIIIIHMWIIWH1 NIHHIH PM H I IN VEN TOR 790m: hbae Jfone Patented Aug. 29, 1933 r f UNITED STATES or AND APPARATUS MEASURING ases METHOD PATENT O FICBiL-Y.;;

FOR,

Thomas Wade Stone, Fort Wayne, Ind., assignor to The Western Gas Construction Corporation of Indiana v Company, a

Application June" 20, 1927. Serial No. 200,254 11 Claims. (Cl. 23 255) This invention relates to a method of and apparatus for measuring gases, particularly fuel gases such as producer gas, water gas and the stant, the percentageof standard or effective gas a water-gas I machine or the being generated by like.

In plants where-several watergas machines or setsare installed, the raw gas from a number of machines is delivered into a common relief holder. At the present time, this raw ga s' cannot be successfully measured.

ally between 175 to 190 F., as a mixture of gas, oil vapors, water vapor and entrained water,

the :raw gas beingsaturated or nearly saturated with oil and water vapors. Its composition varies frequently, so that the off-take raw gas passing from one water-gas machine to the relief holder may be quite different from the off-take gas from another machine. Very slight variations in the composition of the mixture make a very great.

' difference in the percentage of standard gas" or corrected gas, as is the more proper designation. "By standard or corrected gas is meant 1000 cubic feet of gas in thestate and composition in which it will be when cooled to F., by

passing through a spray of water and at a pressure of 30 inches ofmercury.

pipe of individual machines and connected with a suitable orifice meter, such arrangement-serving fairly well to indicatethe flow of corrected gas only when theraw gas being measuredis in a fairly constant condition and its com-position is'somewhat near vthe state of corrected gas. The readings on such meters of raw mixtures are entirely inadequate to give any practical and useful idea of the rate at which corrected gas is passing from thetmachine, since the percentage. of corrected gas is not known. ,Should the operator, for example; decide to change theamount of. steam admitted to the machine or the generatorof the set, from say,

" period for .which' a reading maybe taken on an It passes from the; gas-making machine orset at a temperature. usuis a diagrammatic view of apparatus illustrating" 95 Attempts have been made to measure the raw 7 o My inventionconsists in the various steps deoff-take gas by placing an orifice in the off-take.

210 lbs. per minute to a rate of 240 lbs. perminute, there would of course be anincreased flow and pressure throughout the water gas set or machine with a corresponding increase in gase ous products, but whether or not more gas was actually being made after the changein steam admitted than before, has heretofore beenun known. The orifice meters or other apparatus available heretofore have been incapable of determining the actual results. Only theapproximate performanceof agroup of machines for anoperating period of aidayforan hour has hereto} fore been determined, but such periods, "whether relatively long or short, are, nevertheless'ofilonger duration than are the cycles of chainging'co'ri ditions insidelthe machine 'orset. Therefore, a favorable or an unfavorable condition ma'yarise and pass before it may be detectedin the shortest orifice meter or any other apparatus-heretofore available. y'f g 'j Thus the operator hasfno definite means of testing and correcting the operation of'his.:ma; chine to produce a uniform and better'fiow of gas. He has been. seriously handicapped "mallat highest efliciency at which to operate a water-ga's' tempts, heretofore; to determine the' point 50f set or machine, and this applies to fthe" various;

machines in present use, sincethere' has'notexisted, prior to the vpresentinvention, any known' method or apparatus by which the amountof corrected gas corning'through the off take ofj 5 r I the machine or set may be accurately determined;

.I haveqdiscovereda method by which this measurement may be accomplished successfully andall of the difiiculties above noted may be entirelyv overcome.

In the accompanying drawing, the single figure V a preferred form of my invention;

scribed and hereinafter set forth in the appended claims, and in apparatus adapted for carryingout said method, as broadly set forth in the claims:

Wash box of anywater-gas set or machine from;

which, through a suitable off-take pipe lineZ,

the raw gas leaves the machine'and is conveyed v conduit pipes in line 2 are usually 30 to 36 in indicated by an arrow; 7

*Within thepipe 2, Linstall any suitable re diameter, the direction of flow of raw gas being strictingldev'ice 3, havingan' orif ce or outlet of e In" the drawing, 1 indicates a tar-batterf or 1 orifice meters, 11 and 12, having similar charts 13 and 14 and pointers l5 and 16, respectively;

The pointer'7 will show the amount of mixture or raw gas flowing through the orifice 4 at any particular instant during the period of operation'oi the set. The functions of the-meters 11and12' will be hereinafter stated; it' being understood that therecording on the charts 6, 13 andjl i of the meters 5, 11 and 12, respectively, is synchronized as to time, and the charts are calibrated to show the flow corresponding to the various positions of, the indicators. 7

In' the new method'herein disclosed, I use any suitable form of chamber provided with a curtain or spray of water maintained at a constant temperature and, by means of a suitable suction, pump, I pass the rawgas through 'the water spray, whereby it is corrected in temperature,

composition and pressure, and; then return the.

now corrected gas to the pipe line.

Suchapparatus is indicated by .a tank 1? and associatedparts. An inert cooling liquid such as cold water is supplied to tank 17 from a water inlet pipe 18, the overflow therefrom being indicated at 19.; The inlet 18 is provided with a thermostatically controlled regulating valve 20., The valve 20 is opened or closed. by the temperature of a thermostatic element 21 located inthe water inthe tank 17 near the suction inlet pipe 22. A suction pump 23 draws the waterfrom the tank and discharges'it through a pipe '24 into a top compartment 25 of .a spray chamber or scrub-- ber '26 oftank 17. )Nithin the spray ,chamber 26, suitable provision ismade for, sprayingrthe.

water, as by a perforated floor 27, so that the wa- -ter will fall like a rain'shower, downthrough the 7 *through' which it falls, ismaintained chamber 26 and return tothe tank 17. Thus the temperature of-the-water drawnby the pump 23,

as well; as the temperature of the compartment stant temperature or F. v V

X'indicates conventionally any means for maintaining at a given or standard pressure the water in the water feed-lines leading to the'thermost'at- I ..ioally operated valve 20, and the headoi water in the tank 1'7 is controlled by the siphonic overflow 19.

. I- provide alsoan exhaust pump 29, the inlet to Lwhich is connected by a pipe line ,30 to one side sure" line 31 is an orificed member 32. The;dis-' charge side of the exhaust pump 29 is provided fwith a pressure line-33, which discharges into the pipe line 2 at a pointbeyond the point of of the water spraycompartment 26, the opposite side of compartment 26fbeing' connected'by a pressure line, 31 to raw gas 'pipe line 2 ate point between the point of attachment of line 8 thereto andthe tar-batterl. Within thispres- I {attachment of line 9 thereto) Within this pres- [sure line 33 is an orifioed member 34, It will thus beunderstood that gas is exhausted by pump 29,

from, the line 2, through. line 31, orifice member 32, the water compartment 26 and line 31),"and is discharged by the pump 29 throughfline 33 and orifice 34 into line 2., j i The pressure within the water compartment '26 may, if desired, be"maint"ained constantby'any at a con i l 1 can be immediately determined. This, will'enof several suitable or usual well known means' (not shown) for this purpose. For: example, a

the diaphragm type for controlling an inlet valve to the enclosure within which the pressure is controlled, 'Or, such regulatormay control the speed usual device comprises a pressure regulator of of an exhaust pump connected to the enclosure.

loweven in the operation of the apparatus of the present invention such. refinement is not 1 necessary as the percentage of error due to fluctuationsi in pressure. is so small as to be negligible for the purposes for which the apparatus is intended. V The pump 29 is operated at substantially constant speed and at such rate as to provide an average pressure corresponding substantially to 30 inches of mercury or its approximate equivalent, atmospheric pressure. u

The orifice meter 11 is suitably connected by pressure lines 35 and 36 with the pressure line 31 at-eitherside of the orifice member 32.

The orifice meter 12 is suitably connected, similarly, by pressure lines 37 and '38 to the return line 33, at either side of orifice member 34.

'p It will be understood that only the corrected gas content of the sample raw gas passing through orifice member 32 will be returned to the line 2 through orifice member 34 and. hence-be registered'by meters 11 and 12. It will alsobe Y understood that the ratio of reading on meter 12 to the reading on meter ll'will give, instantaneously, the factor or" percentage of correction to the water-gas machine orset, required to produce the'exact amount or corrected gas whi'oh'is to pass away from the machine'through orifice 4 and to be'indicated on chart Got the meter 5'. I

v By measuringthe total quantity of raw gas that passes through the off-taize-of the water-gas Ina-- chine or set, and'by observing the proportion of corrected'g'as in a givensample, Ia'm enabled to determine the total quantity of corrected gas being produced at any time in-the'operation of v the set. Since the charts 6, Band 14 on meters 5; 11 and 12, respectively, are all recording and their records are synchronized'as to time, any reading on meter 5 has correspondinginstantaneous readings on meters-1 1 and 12, so that the exact corrected rate of now," at any and all times,

able the operatorto know immediately the effective gas production from the generator of the if any change, may be required, and to make such change at once; a

'For example, an increase in the amount of" steam admitted to the generator of the'set would show, onmeter 5, an increased-flow and pressure ofgaseous products throughout the, set, (which heretofore would not indicate whether or not more gas was actually being produced), but, if

this; increased fiow reading. on meter 5 should be accompanied, in my apparatus and by my method,

water-gas machine or set, and to determine what,

by a decrease inthe indicated ratio of the read-v ings on meter '12 to'meter 11, it would thus be evident thata condition" of maximum efficiency in the machine or set had been oven-reached If,

however, the ratio of indicated readings of meters 12 to 11, under like circumstances, should show an increase," it would indicate immediately to the 1 operator that while conditions had improved, the

amount of steam supplied to the machine might f probably be still further increased" with anincrease 1 in efiiciency.

The successful' operation of -applicants invenQ tion' is dependent upon the relative drops in presh icorrected gas; and then correcting the operar -em? sure at the orifices 7 measured by j the meters 1 1 and 12 and not the absolute drops inpressure at these orifices. The relative-drops in-pressure are only very slightly aifected' by variations inbaro- ;device, wherein the three orificemeter mechanisms will function as described,'th'eir variable factors will be reduced to a resultant and a single chart will exhibit to view a reading of the volume of flow of corrected gas, only, andwhereby the differential pressures found from time to time about the orificed members 3 and'32 will automatically actuate metering mechanism within such device in such manner as to instantly make the required corrections. Such apparatus will be equally adapted to'the carrying out of my novel method of measuring gases as are the three separate meters indicated, since my inventionembraces any means for measuring the total flow of raw gases passing from the water-gas machine or set, and, by the method above'described and with the use of any suitable apparatus, by observing the proportion of corrected gas in a sample taken, thereby determining the total quantity of tion of the water-gas set or machine accordingly.

The utility of this method in thepractical operation of one or more water-gassets is very pronounced, as by my method I am enabled to obtain the maximum of thermal efficiency and thereby greatly increase the quantity of correctedbgas from a given installation. r

I claim as my invention:

1. The method of testing gases which comprises measuring the rate of flow of the raw gas from the take-01f of a water-gas'machine or the like, passing a sample of raw gas through a correcting bath of cold fluid maintained at a constant given temperature at a standard pressure, measuring the rate of flow of this sample before as well'as after correction to determine the ratio of COT-7' rected gas to raw gas, and applyingthis ratio to the rate of flow of the raw gas from said takeoff. 2. The method of testing gas which comprises the steps of measuring the amount of raw gas" passing through the take -o'ff conduit of a water gas machine or the like by means of a metering device associated with the take-01f conduit, passing a sample of raw gas through cold liquid at a constant, given temperature at a standard pressure whereby the gas is corrected in temperature, composition and pressure, passing the sample of raw gas through a separate metering device bee fore it reaches the liquid and passing the corrected gas of the sample through a third metering device.

3. The method of testing gas which comprises the steps of measuring the amount of raw gas passing through the take-01f conduit of gas-making apparatus by means of an orifice meter operatively connected therewith, passing a sample of said raw gas through a spray of cold liquid maintained at a constant given temperature at a standard pressure, whereby said raw gas sample is corrected as to temperature, composition and pressure, and in passing said sample through anoriit through the-'cold liquid spray. v

fice metering device both :b'ef ore and after passing 4. In apparatus for testing gas in combinatiom means for'meteringthe rate of flow of a 'sample of the. raw gas from the take-01f of a water=gas machine orset, a bath compartment containing cold liquid maintained at a constant temperature V at 'a standard pressure, means for passing said sample of raw gas through the cold liquid bath and a device for measuring the rate of flow of said sample both before and after passing through the cold water bath. a

5. Apparatus for measuring raw gasescomprising a take-off conduit of a water-gas machine or set, orifice metering means associatedftherewith, a cold water tank having a spraying compartment, means for maintaining a constant temperature ata standard pressure of the Water in said tank, means for. circulatingthe water through the spraying compartment, a second orificemetering device, means for exhausting a sample of second metering device and then through the spraying compartment, and orifice means for measuring the gas after passing through the spraying compartment.

6. In apparatus of the character described, in combination with a conduit, an orificed memraw gas from the take-oif conduit through said berin said conduit, a scrubbing chamber, pipes extending'to'said scrubbing chamber from said conduit at the respective sides of said orificed member, an orificed member in each of said pipes, anda flow meter associated with each of thethree orificed members. I

7. In apparatus of the character described, in combination witha conduit, an orificed member in said conduit, a scrubbing chamber, pipes ex tending to said scrubbing chamber from said conduit at the respective sides of said orificed member, an orificed member in'each ofisaid pipes, and a flow meter associated with each of the three orificed members, each of said fiow. meters having pipes connected at each side of the associated orificed member and closely adjacent thereto. a

8. Inapparatus of the character described, 1 combination with a conduit, an orificed member in said conduit, a tank, a pipe supplying an inert cooling liquid to said tank, a valve in said pipe, a thermostat in said tank for controlling said valve,

bypass pipes connecting said tank with said con- -duit at the respective sides of said orificed member, an orificed member in each of said bypass pipes, and a flow meter associatedwith each of the three orificed members.

9. In apparatus of the'character described, in combination with a conduit, an orificed member in said conduit, a' tank, an inert cooling liquid in said tank, means for maintaining a local recirculation of said cooling liquid between different portions of said tank, bypass pipes connecting said tank with said conduit at the respective sides'of said orificed member, an orificed member in each of said bypass pipes, and a flow meter associated with each of the three orificed members.

i 10. The method of testing gases which comprises continuously passing the gases through a main flow meter, and simultaneously by-passing a sample of said gas around said flow meter,

passing said-by-passed sample through an inert scrubbing liquid, thereby maintaining said sample at a constant given temperature at a standard pressure, and passing said by-passed sample before and after the-scrubbing operation through secondary flow meters, whereby thereading of said main'flow meter may be correetedin pro- 7 portion to the differential 'of said secondary flow meters. s

11. The method of determining a corrected rate of Vegas flow-through a conduit, which comprises measuring the rate of flow of raw gas through said conduit; taking 011 a continuous sample of said.

raw gas, passing said sample through an inert scrubbing 1iquid, thereby maintaining said sarnple at a constant given'temperature at a standard" pressure, and measuring :the rateof flowjof said sample before and. after it is passed through said" Mill's 

